(from left) Sophie, Anne and Anne
There hasn’t been much happening on the training front for our Future2 Foundation Mt Kilimanjaro Challenge in 2016. In fact that’s a lie – there’s been NO training, at least for me. That hasn’t stopped the fundraising activities though and we’ve had some great success which I want to share with you.
Question: What do you get when you combine the following?
- The fabulous Future2Foundation
- A crazy Kilimanjaro Climbing challenge
- Enthusiastic and resourceful friends
- A jar of marshmallows
Answer: $2,053!
That’s right, we raised over $2,000 thanks to the generosity of strangers and the great organisational skills of an enthusiastic friend. Jen* approached us some months ago and offered to hold a cocktail party to support our fundraising efforts for the Kili climb. Before we knew it, the date was booked, food and drinks organised and we had a guest list of about 40 or so. We didn’t know most of the guests but that didn’t stop them being very supportive.
1. Accept offers of help – we can’t do this on our own
When Jen offered to host the event I was initially reluctant to accept. I didn’t want to put her out and knew it would take some organising and incur some costs. Having said that, it was something she was very keen to do and who was I to get in her way?
Jen also organised a wonderful print from an Australian artist to be donated for auction. This was a great initiative to generate interest and a ‘buzz’ amongst the crowds. One of the guests was “volunteered” to be auctioneer and he did a great job creating spirited competition and enthusiastic bidding for the print.
2. Ask for donations – if you don’t ask, you don’t get
I haven’t been aggressive in asking for donations (others may disagree) but whenever I have asked, I’m always pleasantly surprised at the response. Sometimes people just need a nudge and as we all lead busy lives, a reminder now and then doesn’t go astray.
During our soiree, Simone (friend/guest) realised it was far more effective to take the “money bowl” to guests, rather than wait for the guests to go to it. This was the small nudge needed to encourage people to donate which they did with great gusto. Approaching people made it easier for them to give and harder for them to say no.
We asked guests to come along with an open mind and an open wallet but felt a little incentive was also required. That came in the form of a large glass jar filled with pink and white marshmallows. Guests were asked to guess the number of marshmallows in the jar** and to make a discretionary donation – no minimum. That was a burst of genius as the initial idea was to have a gold coin donation – thank goodness we didn’t do that! The marshmallows generated some fun discussion and conversation which helped the guests relax and dig deep.
4. Share your story – people are interested
Not wanting the night to become one full of speeches and pleas for cash I was reluctant to talk too much about us and the climb however that would have been a really dumb idea. Afterall the main reason everyone was there, was for the climb and Future2. I found everyone was genuinely interested in the great work the Foundation does, the inspiring charities and community programs it supports and the financial planning community which provides the link.
5. Set yourself a BHAG – Big Hairy Audacious Goal (or Target)
The minimum fundraising target for the Kilimanjaro Challenge has been set at $4,000 per climber which is $8000 for David and me. We didn’t really want the target to be an anchor point for potential donors, so I increased our target firstly to $12,000 and then more recently to $20,000. I suspect if I’d kept a lower target that would have had an adverse impact on the levels of donations. I didn’t want to put any barriers in the way of raising more money, hence the BAHG of $20,000. It will be a challenge reaching our target but there’s no harm in trying.
We have just over 6 months to go and your support to help reach our target would be greatly appreciated. Cick here for more information about the Kili Climb, fundraising and updates.
*Jen is her real name
**131 marshmallows, the nearest guess was 126.
Anne Graham (with David Graham)
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Read more about Anne’s preparations here:
22 July: Future 2 Foundation, Mt Kilimanjaro Climb 2016 – training in the US
23 June: Future 2 Foundation, Mt Kilimanjaro Climb 2016 – 1,000 Steps Kokoda Walk
11 June: Future 2 Foundation, Mt Kilimanjaro Climb 2016 – Boots and birthday
27 May: Future 2 Foundation, Mt Kilimanjaro Climb 2016 – Oh, what the hell have I done?
12 May: Future 2 Foundation, Mt Kilimanjaro Climb 2016 – Want to climb a mountain? Of course I do…